155 replies to this topic

[MtlJeff]

So, one of MtlJeff's guilty pleasures is watching action films. I really believe they don't get their fair share of credit from movie reviewers or critics in general. They serve a genuine purpose, keeping us entertained with over the top ridiculous violence, and well time comedic quips.

Now action movies have to be based largely on action, and can't just be a great film that has violence in it (goodfellas is NOT an action movie for example). I'm talking about movies where the main character just kicks a** for a couple of hours

Here is a must have for any action movie that wishes to be great:
1) Unintentional intentional comedy (lines that make you laugh but you are unsure if they are supposed to, meaning not overt jokes, but just funny nonetheless)
2) passable acting. I repeat. Passable
3) quality villain
4) Action, action, action, preferable a hero who can kill people in ridiculous ways
5) wet blanket female actress is a plus

So here is my top 5 action movies of the modern era. Feel free to disagree or tell me yours!

5) Bloodsport
-I cannot turn this movie off when it's on. It's got everything. The unintentional comedy of chong li is priceless. He is a great villain. This is also Van Damme at his martial arts best

4) Commando
-I wish i could rank this higher. But the 3 above top it. Commando has some of the most quotable lines of any action flick. It also has some serious over the top violence. But when i think about, all that stands out is "i like you Sully, that's why i'm going to kill you last". Possibly Arnold's best line in any movie. But not as good overall as the below

3) Terminator 2
-A classic. Tough to argue with this one. Has it all. Scary unstoppable villain, quotable lines. Unintentional comedy (that knowing Arnold was probably intentional but whatevs). Lots of action. Bonus points for Edward Furlong as the young sidekick. He steals scenes in this movie

2) Die Hard
-Not as much on the comedy scale. But the hero at the wrong place at the wrong time genre was basically started here. Bruce Willis really has a flare for playing the wise-a** vigilante too. Tough to imagine someone else in that role. I like Alan Rickman as the villain too. This movie is simply a classic

1) True Lies
-In my opinion the perfect action movie. Totally legit. Directed by James "Titanic" Cameron, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis and her legendary strip scene. The only movie that makes you think Tom Arnold can act, and is actually funny. Countless funny lines and cliches. Sequences of violence that are just great (the bathroom scene followed by the horse chase, the scene on the island) and my personal alltime favorite action movie scene: The truth serum scene

What are your fav's?

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[Damo75]

Great post!

I've always been a fan of action movies.  Even bad action films are generally watchable.

Apart from Commando, I can't really argue with any of the films mentioned above being ranked highly.  Bloodsport is probably better strictly for the fight scenes, but as far as Van Damme films go I personally prefer Kickboxer.

I don't think I could possibly rank my favourites in order, but I think the one glaring omission from MtlJeff is the Lethal Weapon series. Like Die Hard, the whole series is great (except Die Hard 2 which was pretty ordinary).

For a blast from the past, The Expendables films are both great too.  Very tongue-in-cheek but very entertaining. I loved watching all the 80's/90's action stars again!

[Thrillhouse]

Top Gun, for the following lines:

Maverick: I feel the need...
Maverick/Goose: ...the need for speed!


And:

Iceman: You two really are cowboys.
Maverick: What's your problem, Kazanski?
Iceman: You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you go up in the air, you're unsafe. I don't like you because you're dangerous.
Maverick: That's right! Ice... man. I am dangerous.

And:


Charlie: So, lieutenant, where exactly were you?
Maverick: Well, we...
Goose: Thank you.
Maverick: Started up on a 6, when he pulled from the clouds, and then I moved in above him.
Charlie: Well, if you were directly above him, how could you see him?
Maverick: Because I was inverted.
Iceman: [coughs whilst saying] Bulls***!
Goose: No, he was man. It was a really great move. He was inverted.
Charlie: You were in a 4g inverted dive with a MiG28?
Maverick: Yes, ma'am.
Charlie: At what range?
Maverick: Um, about two meters.
Goose: It was actually about one and a half I think. It was one and a half. I've got a great Polaroid of it, and he's right there, must be one and a half.
Maverick: Was a nice picture.
Goose: Thanks.
Charlie: Eh, lieutenant, what were you doing there?
Goose: Communicating.
Maverick: Communicating. Keeping up foreign relations. You know, giving him the bird!
Goose: [Charlie looks puzzled, so Goose clarifies] You know, the finger
Charlie: Yes, I know the finger, Goose.
Goose: I-I'm sorry, I hate it when it does that, I'm sorry. Excuse me.

[PZero]

1. The Rock
2. Terminator 2
3. The Boondock Saints
4. Commando
5. Quantum of Solace

[Myherobobhope]

My dad has played golf with the guy who wrote the Die Hard screenplay... apparently when Bruce Willis was climbing through the ventilation system they originally didn't have any dialogue for him... so they called the write up, and he came up with "Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..." on the golf course...

Die Hard is probably my favorite action movie...

[Pudgelewis]

Glad to see True Lies #1.  I'd have to think about my list, but that is a GREAT one I might not have thought about.

[MtlJeff]

i did definitely consider Lethal Weapon, it would have been in the 5-10 range for me, but i certainly coudn't disagree with someone having it in their top 5. Like with Die Hard i'd probably have the first lethal weapon tops of that series. Just because it's got Gary freakin Busey as the main henchman. That in itself is gold

To me Top Gun is one of the most unique movies ever made (hear me out). Because it's a borderline CHICK FLICK. You know this is true. Never has a movie so closely flirted with chick flick status and action movie status. I'd lean more towards action movie. But you know your girlfriend will watch Top Gun with you, and that hurts it. My fiance just rolls her eyes when i laugh hysterically when Arnold says things like "remember when i said i'd kill you last----I lied"

Some other tidbits/movies i'm fond of....

Hardcore martials arts movies almost deserve a special category. Not the same as the typical action films but they basically follow the same premise, just with fighting and not gun violence. There is also usually less comedy. But i have to give a "best fight scene" nod to Jackie Chan in either "first strike" when he keeps jumping through the ladder. Or when he fights the last 2 guys in "legend of drunken master"

A second special category for "best white guy fighting" would easily go to Jason Stathan in the Transporter. I would have to give it to the oil fight scene in the first movie for creativity alone

[Olson12]

How is Taken not on any list yet?  Great movie!

[MtlJeff]

Taken was actually a solid movie. But too recent to be on a top 5. Will they be playing taken in 10 years? I dont know. I liked it a lot actually but to get iconic status takes time. Which is the same reason i would rank say, Point Break over a movie like Fast Five. Not sure which is better. But my closest friend is completely hypnotized when Point Break is on. He can't turn it off. So much "dude" and "bro" in that movie. You just can't look away.

When i saw Inception i said "this is one of the best movies i've ever seen". But i'll have to see how i feel in a few years. Staying power is important

[Well Played]

I will add a few off the top of my head:

Independence Day

The Patriot

Lethal Weapon 4

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[JLTD63]

Anybody like the Transporter series??  Statham definitely finds new and innovative ways to kick people in the face.

[MtlJeff]

^^^ see my post #7

I like the Transporter. Definitely the best white guy martial arts i've seen. The first one when he kicked down the doors and then fought the guys in the hallways to that weird music, and then the oil/bus scene. Both very good. Not as great a movie as some you could put in the top 10. But watchable for sure

[MtlJeff]

you know what movie also deserves it's own category? Face/Off

It's the best, most watchable, terrible action movie. I mean the unintentional comedy in this movie is off the charts. You have not one but TWO actors who have turned in more bombs then the disbanded soviet union. Not a weak goes by in the office where someone in my group doesn't say "i could eat a peach for hours". It's so horrible and over the top but without the tongue in cheek, wink wink acknowledgement that it's that way. I mean what were the odds of Nic Cage and John Travolta teaming up and making a movie that a lot of 25-40yr olds will consider a classic of sorts?

i deem "face/off" the best worst action movie ever

[Thrillhouse]

Two words:

Mortal Kombat

That is all

[Damo75]

You're right, Jason Statham in the Transporter series is awesome.

Before his unfortunate demise, Brandon Lee was certainly on his way to being a bona fide action star. Rapid Fire and Showdown in Little Tokyo were both good shows.  The Crow is a classic, though I don't consider it an action movie per se.

The action genre has changed over the years and I think MtlJeff is talking more about 80s/90s style action movies as mentioned earlier.  Taken is fantastic, but it's not the same as action movies of 20 years ago.  You could almost say action movies changed between 1995 and 2000.  Since then, there's been some awesome films including the Bourne trilogy and the mor recent Bond films.  They are all action movies, but they're completely different to the Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, Willis etc movies from the 80s and 90s.

Another old movie I liked was The Perfect Weapon with Jeff Speakman. I'm a bit surprised he didn't make a few more movies.

[Damo75]

Thrillhouse, on 08 October 2012 - 09:55 PM, said:

Two words:

Mortal Kombat

That is all

Mortal Kombat is cool.  And Bridgette Wilson (Sampras) was/is hot!

MK Annihilation - not so much...

[sharkiesj]

Love True Lies and the truth serum scene rocks!

I was thinking about how I'm going to kill you. Fist, I'm going to kill that guard with that pike on that table then I'm going to use this guys body as a shield and then I was thinking about breaking your neck. And how do you think you're going to do all that? You know my handcuffs? ....uh yes.....I picked them...Gasp!!!!!

Predator..good action no hot babe however .
Cliffhanger ..too much story, no one-liners, but love all the bad guys.
Raiders of the Lost Arc..oldie but goodie.

[Myherobobhope]

We've gotten this far and no one has mentioned Big Trouble in Little China?

Actually, let's discuss Kurt Russell:

3000 Miles to Graceland - Good horrible action flick.
Sky High - I actually really enjoy this.
Escape from New York/LA: f*** and Yes.
Tombstone: I will be your huckleberry.
Captain Ron: This movie is terrible. Why did I put this on the list?
Backdraft: Intense movie... I should re-watch it.
Overboard: He builds a mini-golf course!

And another movie that needs to be discussed/added... Point Break.... which is basically the metric on which the category should be judged.
Nudity: Please and Thank You.
Violence: Gunfights with drug dealers, fights with surfers (who are also drug dealers), and skydiving fights with bank robbers.
Great Dialogue: I am an FBI AGENT.
Patrick Swayze: Yep.

[Drewmun]

Wow had forgotten about BloodSport.
Chong Li was such a BADASS, alot of his lines were from my favorite action movie: Enter The Dragon.

Edited by Drewmun, 09 October 2012 - 08:06 AM.

[Well Played]

Gotta throw in the Beverly Hills Cop series, at least the first two.

And let's not forget about a classic - the Goonies!

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[JLTD63]

MtlJeff, on 08 October 2012 - 06:18 PM, said:

you know what movie also deserves it's own category? Face/Off

It's the best, most watchable, terrible action movie. I mean the unintentional comedy in this movie is off the charts. You have not one but TWO actors who have turned in more bombs then the disbanded soviet union. Not a weak goes by in the office where someone in my group doesn't say "i could eat a peach for hours". It's so horrible and over the top but without the tongue in cheek, wink wink acknowledgement that it's that way. I mean what were the odds of Nic Cage and John Travolta teaming up and making a movie that a lot of 25-40yr olds will consider a classic of sorts?

i deem "face/off" the best worst action movie ever

HAHAHA..."I could eat a peach for hours"...I'd forgotten about that line, good stuff.  That movie is really something, definitely entertaining for all the reasons you mention.  Plus Gina Gershon was looking good in those days.

[Myherobobhope]

Stargate, if only because it's a documentary that proves we didn't build the pyramids.

[ben w]

as soon as I read the first sentence, I was thinking True Lies. You have identical tastes in action movies to mine, good sir!



For me personally I would have to add some seagal movies to the list. The only thing missing is a quality bad guy (Jamaicans? Really??)

[RW_Shankar]

Where's the love for The Matrix?  That's got it all for me.  Tied with Die Hard for all-time favorite.

[Myherobobhope]

I don't consider The Matrix a true action film for some reason... probably cause it has too much philosophy in it.

The goonies is also not an action movie.

[MtlJeff]

sharkiesj, on 08 October 2012 - 11:33 PM, said:

Love True Lies and the truth serum scene rocks!

I was thinking about how I'm going to kill you. Fist, I'm going to kill that guard with that pike on that table then I'm going to use this guys body as a shield and then I was thinking about breaking your neck. And how do you think you're going to do all that? You know my handcuffs? ....uh yes.....I picked them...Gasp!!!!!

Predator..good action no hot babe however .
Cliffhanger ..too much story, no one-liners, but love all the bad guys.
Raiders of the Lost Arc..oldie but goodie.

Cliffhanger may be the most legit classic Stallone action movie. If only because First Blood is not really an action movie in the sense of this thread, it's actually a bit more of a action based drama that has a point to make about the war and treatment of veterans etc.

Cliffhanger has John Lithgow at his evilist, and the whole mountain climbing theme is actually pretty unique

I can watch Demolition Man anytime but that's more in the Face/Off genre, in that it's good because it's kind of bad

[MtlJeff]

Myherobobhope, on 09 October 2012 - 06:27 AM, said:

We've gotten this far and no one has mentioned Big Trouble in Little China?

Actually, let's discuss Kurt Russell:

3000 Miles to Graceland - Good horrible action flick.
Sky High - I actually really enjoy this.
Escape from New York/LA: f*** and Yes.
Tombstone: I will be your huckleberry.
Captain Ron: This movie is terrible. Why did I put this on the list?
Backdraft: Intense movie... I should re-watch it.
Overboard: He builds a mini-golf course!

And another movie that needs to be discussed/added... Point Break.... which is basically the metric on which the category should be judged.
Nudity: Please and Thank You.
Violence: Gunfights with drug dealers, fights with surfers (who are also drug dealers), and skydiving fights with bank robbers.
Great Dialogue: I am an FBI AGENT.
Patrick Swayze: Yep.

i mentioned point break in #9, if you are between 28-35 and have ever surfed in your life, there is a solid chance you know Point Break by heart. What's interesting too is that "the fast and the furious" is almost the exact same movie except with cars.

Point Break would probably be #6 on my list. I did seriously consider it. I love the movie. It has serious unintentional comedy (as any Keanu Reeves movie does). It's immensely quotable. And as with Lethal Weapon, it's got a healthy dose of Gary Busey (which means maybe we should discuss "drop zone" too, serious Busey content there)

But Point Break is also a legitimate movie and not just a joke. So it deserves consideration for top 10 action movie status.

[Tarkata]

Here's my gripe with action movies...how can so many bad guys shoot their machine guns so badly and still be alive to be bad guys?
They're usually ex-military types, but hey, I am guessing doing bad things affects targeting?

[Thrillhouse]

I got another one!

How good are the resident evil movies? Really good right! Plus they have milla jovovich, which brings me to my next point. I played a bunch of tomb raider on ps1 and 12 year old thrillhouse was somewhat infatuated with Lara Croft, so when the tomb raider movie came out I was into it.

Lara croft was really hot, for that reason tomb raider needs to be in the top ten.

[bogeyk]

How about Con Air?  "Why couldn't you put the bunny back in the box?" was a great(cheesy) line by Cage in a horrible accent. Dave Chappelle was in it for a brief spell too.  Buscemi as the freaky cannibal was spot on as well.  

The Rundown with The Rock was pretty good too.  I wouldn't say top 5 worthy, but entertaining none the less.

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